What have you done with/to your GC Series 2300, 2400, 1700 Tractor TODAY

Dmacleo · Jan 30, 2025

ray66v said:
Mine has always started right up.

I have no block heater, and never use more than 30 seconds of glow plug time.

Like Irving's battery, I guess it will remain one of life's great mysteries.

I prob could have gotten it running off plugs but my battery is 12 yrs old.
last year I replaced glow plugs (due to one dead one. was a gap in it so...yeah...dead) with aftermarket that are 1/8" shorter and 150$ cheaper so I have to run them a touch longer.
when its that cold out it really is just easier on my body to plug it in and walk away, could have started it on plugs but why bother?
hell one single shot of ether would have made it run...nope.
I spent 145$ in 2020 for a block heater.
I built a dongle to power my battery maintainer and block heater.
its that cold out plug it in walk away for 20 minutes and then tractor running fine.

cdaigle430 · Jan 30, 2025

I got 14 years of reliable battery life from the original. It outlasted my battery maintainer even, now I have a Delta battery maintainer for the new Walmart Everstart Max. So far so good.

hube2 · Jan 30, 2025

I'm hoping to get a break from the wind for a day or two here, been needing to clear drifts twice a day, almost every day for the last 2 weeks. It's really getting old. National Weather Service has the winds below 15MPH for the next 2 days with low snow so the drifting should not be as bad. I would be happier if the wind stayed below 10. But rain expected tomorrow, so that's a different job. I'll be out spreading a ton of salt in the rain or I'll have a skating rink.

I always run my block heater when it's cold if I have the time. I've started without it when I can't wait, but it does start faster with less glow plug time after the block heater has been running for a while. I see no reason not to use it since I have it and I can turn in on from inside the house.

irvingj · Jan 30, 2025

Well KC... you were right.

In spite of the TWO different diagrams I found indicating just where the positive terminal is located on "R" batteries, apparently Deka sees it differently. ARRRGH!!!

Holy f-ing $#@. You'd think there'd be SOME kind of standardization here. Had my son see what he could find, and at first he came up with the same two diagrams I had showing polarity positions... then found another that was perfectly opposite. Sheesh.

I've called (Battery Mart, Winchester, VA) to make arrangements to return this one and order a PLAIN 51 battery, but of course had to leave a message. I really don't want to try to finagle those cables to change their positions in my tractor.

On a positive note, this new Deka battery is substantially heavier than the OEM one. Of course, it also comes without a handle....

Good thing my original battery seems to have come back to life a bit -- we're due for more snow tomorrow afternoon. I had to use it again this AM to clear a couple inches that arrived overnight, and it started up just fine with heat from the block heater and a bit of glow plug.

Dmacleo · Jan 30, 2025

irvingj said:
Well KC... you were right.

In spite of the TWO different diagrams I found indicating just where the positive terminal is located on "R" batteries, apparently Deka sees it differently. ARRRGH!!!

Holy f-ing $#@. You'd think there'd be SOME kind of standardization here. Had my son see what he could find, and at first he came up with the same two diagrams I had showing polarity positions... then found another that was perfectly opposite. Sheesh.

I've called (Battery Mart, Winchester, VA) to make arrangements to return this one and order a PLAIN 51 battery, but of course had to leave a message. I really don't want to try to finagle those cables to change their positions in my tractor.

On a positive note, this new Deka battery is substantially heavier than the OEM one. Of course, it also comes without a handle....

Good thing my original battery seems to have come back to life a bit -- we're due for more snow tomorrow afternoon. I had to use it again this AM to clear a couple inches that arrived overnight, and it started up just fine with heat from the block heater and a bit of glow plug.

View attachment 2409515

I got enough cable slack to make that work in my gc2400.
if it would help you ship it to me and I'll toss my 12yr old napa in box and return to you.
only if that helps of course

MF RED in MT · Jan 30, 2025

You'd think they could of made it simpler by identifying the positive terminal with a "L" and a "R".

KC

irvingj · Jan 31, 2025

Yeah, it's amazing... Look at these two images of "51R" batteries, where the 51R designation is easily seen on their labels. First is (as above) the Deka, second is the Walmart Everstart.

In both cases, I suppose, you could argue the positive's on the right... but on the front edge of the Deka and on the back edge (like my OEM battery) of the Everstart.

Dave, I was hoping to not have to alter anything, but I guess I will take a very close look at the cables on my 2310 to see if I can swap their positions. (Grrrr..)

Also -- apologies for my rant (and language) above... I was feeling pretty frustrated yesterday.

irvingj · Jan 31, 2025

OK, that Deka battery is all in. I have no idea why it didn't occur to me before to flip the battery around, other than that the two cables on the OEM battery attached to the forward edge, away from the instrument panel and all its wires & cables...and well, that's the way it was originally set up.

But it did work to rotate the Deka battery 180 so the posts were facing toward the REAR of the tractor instead of toward the front, so the positive & negative posts were at least on the correct sides.

That meant the cables only had to move about 2-1/2" toward the rear, so they fit without too much trouble. Those little 10mm bolts on the cable clamps are now very hard to get at (especially the positive), but I managed to get them tight; it'll also be a bit of a reach to connect a charger to the battery (when & if needed), but also doable -- still, it'll be awkward.

In any case, it's now all installed and I have to admit that she cranks at a substantially higher RPM now with that new battery. Bet that'll go a long way toward being able to start better!

(That blue bungee was used to keep the wiring harness up & out of the way.)

Another lesson learned.